


i dreamt i fell in a lion's den (you still came for me)

by tangents



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, F/F, F/M, M/M, as you will see, basically a revolution, but it's a screwed up revolution, down with the monarchy, i just really like writing about royalty but i really hate monarchies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-08-22 10:56:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16596551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tangents/pseuds/tangents
Summary: There are four kingdoms, alike in power. Slytherin, with the oceans and jewels. Ravenclaw, home to the Seers and mountains. Hufflepuff, of vast fields and growth. Gryffindor, warrior-like and full of forests. There are four kingdoms, until suddenly there's three.There are four kingdoms, until there is nothing.(or, at least, there is this: Lily Evans and James Potter, battling for a kingdom they didn't know they shared. Remus Lupin and Sirius Black, runaways in a country they didn't know they would love. Regulus Black, Dorcas Meadowes, and Marlene McKinnon, fighting for causes they didn't know they believed in. At least, there is a battle.)





	i dreamt i fell in a lion's den (you still came for me)

**** Like most stories, this has no beginning. The Seers have always said that time is a circle, after all. They can snatch a glimpse at one point along its rim; they can reach across the divide. Truly, if the Seers say it, it must be true.

So like the Seers say, everything is a result of the past, future, and present. Of before, after, and during.

**BEFORE**

Before everything, there was this: Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor.

Before everything, there was this: water, air, earth, and fire.

In this world, the legends say that one day, the gods pushed the water together, melded it into the creature that the Slytherins call “mermaid” and everybody else calls “monster”. They say that these mermaids grew greedy, that they dragged themselves onto land with nothing but their ambition. 

These, they say, are the Slytherins.

But then the Slytherins grew tired. They would stare at the sky every night, claw at the dots of light that were scattered within the sky. They wouldn’t settle for having it before their eyes, no, they needed to pull it into their hands and squeeze its glow into their veins.

They tried, and they almost achieved. They climbed to the tallest mountain and spread their arms out wide. But here was their mistake - they prayed. They prayed, and the gods heard them. 

Power was meant only for those who could wield it, for those who could  _ keep  _ it. Power was not limitless. There was only so much to share, and the gods would keep it to themselves, for even they feared what a creation  _ better  _ than them would be able to do. Here is what they did instead.

Out of the winds that bludgeoned the mountaintops, the winds that they had attempted to use to send the Slytherins scattering off the mountain, the gods fashioned another race. They were called Ravenclaws, named for the flight built into their bones. The gods pitted these two against each other, hoping that their creation would find a way to die. 

Instead, what they did was worse. They worked  _ together _ . They formed an empire. 

They formed the Hufflepuffs, born of water and air and earth. The Hufflepuffs were born of a collaboration between Ravenclaws, Slytherins, and a last ditch attempt at control by the gods. The Hufflepuffs formed the glue between them, far too kind to start a war like the gods at wanted. But they brought the gods’ power down to earth and spread it amongst the mortals, until the gods weren’t wanted, weren’t needed, anymore. 

Suddenly, all the temples and sacrifices disappeared into smoke. The gods retreated into the heavens. 

Then came the Gryffindors. It was as if they appeared out of nowhere, eyes blazing and ash crumbling off their skin. To this day, the legend still doesn’t know where they could have come from. There are multiple theories. Some say that they forced themselves into creation out of their own sheer will. Others say Slytherin had created them in an attempt to control the other two races.

Even more say that they had been there all along, biding their time.

Either way, the gods pounced upon the opportunity. They chose a random mortal, Grindelwald, and dubbed him the king. They vested all the powers of the gods in him and watched as he waged war among the kingdoms. This time, it were humans that went up in smoke, in massive graves that were enough of a sacrifice to satiate the gods forever.

When Grindelwald became too powerful, this time, the gods could strike him down without regret.

And so, the four kingdoms became. Slytherin of the oceans and jewels, Ravenclaw of the Seers and mountains. Hufflepuff of the vast fields and growth, Gryffindor of the warriors and forests.

For the people, it was the way they had always been.

**AFTER**

After everything unbecomes, after there is nothing, there is still Harry Potter. He’s found in the rubble of what once was Gryffindor castle, what had used to be the refugee for millions. His parents’ bodies are lying next to him. Harry is crying. Hagrid is sobbing by the time he delivers him into Dumbledore’s arms.

Because in any world, this will always be the same. The young will die and suffer for the old’s vendettas. Nobody learns anything until the young are gunned down en masse, and sometimes, not even then. So in this world, even with the world Lily and James have precariously built, even with the lies Remus and Sirius have toppled, the Marauders still die. 

Harry Potter begins his journey as an orphan in every world. The only comfort is that he always ends with a family of red hair, buck teeth, and fierce loyalty. 

Harry Potter’s journey is the same. He finds Ron and Hermione. He finds the Horcruxes. He finds Voldemort. 

In every world, Voldemort dies.

In every world, it is too late.

**DURING**

This is what is different. Lily Evans is found staring out of her window at night, dreaming of a world that could be. It  _ can  _ be, if only the Potter family was no longer ruling. In this world, Lily Evans spends her days planning a world where her say matters, where she doesn’t have to work in the fields day after day with the sun beating down on her back. 

Lily Evans is planning a revolution, they say. 

What they don’t know is that James Potter, crown prince of Gryffindor, is planning one as well. They don’t know that James Potter looks at his father and mother, and thinks,  _ I don’t want this.  _ Of course, his motives are nowhere near altruistic. Maybe if he ever meets Lily Evans, they will change. But for now, he is a boy shunning responsibility.

Secret from all except James is Sirius Black, runaway turned castle guard. Sirius Black, fresh from Slytherin and full of mysteries. Secret from  _ everyone _ is Remus Lupin, fellow guard. Remus Lupin, werewolf. Remus Lupin, cursed.

Gryffindor may have its revolution. But in Slytherin, something else is brewing. Regulus Black knows this. Every day, Regulus Black curses his brother for leaving. Every day, Regulus Black knows he is walking one step closer to his death, and every day, he hopes. Even in Ravenclaw, Marlene McKinnon can sense the truth.

Time is a circle, the seers say. There is no beginning, no end. Only middle.

Eventually, however, everything must crumble. It is the way of the world. This time, it begins with Lily Evans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this story is going to be quite complex. i'll explain more in the next chapter, but basically - 4 kingdoms. right now, they're not on the best of terms. in the kingdom of gryffindor, there's a revolution brewing. what happens next? you'll just have to wait and see!
> 
> if you have any questions, feel free to ask me on my [ tumblr](https://nottical.tumblr.com)


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